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| Oktoberfest Glossary | ||
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So you want to be as authentic as that Spaten beer
in your hand? We've put together what we think are the most useful Bavarian phrases
for your reading pleasure. Where necessary we've added the accurate German diction
in parenthesis. If you want to listen to the original Bavarian pronunciation, just click at the speaker icon next to the phrase to start the audio (mp3). |
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A Bier, bittschen (Ein Bier, bitte)"One beer, please" is an essential phrase - don't leave home without it. |
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Auf de Bänk (Auf die Bänke) A stern command from the brass band ordering Oktoberfest guests to "stand on the tables" and carry on with their "schunkeln" (q.v.). |
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Auf geht's beim Schichtl Literally: "the curtain's rising at Schichtl's." Schichtl, the Oktoberfest's oldest theater (1869), offers a rare mixture of attractions from political satire to gruesome onstage decapitations - playacted, of course. |
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Brezn The pretzel, a Bavarian invention almost as famous as its beer. The giant Oktoberfest pretzels are perfect for whetting your palate for another "Mass" (q.v.). |
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Brotzeit A "ploughman's lunch": bread, coldcuts, pickles, horseradish, you name it. The ideal in-between meal at Oktoberfest. |
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Dirndl The eye-catching Bavarian folk costume for women, with gathered skirts, colorful aprons, tight bodices and naughtily plunging necklines. Also a nickname for a country "lass." |
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Fingerhakeln Finger wrestling, a favorite Bavarian sport practiced on table tops everywhere. Just lock your middle fingers with your neighbor and tug away. |
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Gaudi "Great fun" as in, "all this great food and beer, singing and dancing is 'gaudi' isn't it?" |
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Gmiatlichkeit (Gemütlichkeit) Germans love to sing about "Gemütlichkeit" but there's simply no direct translation. Imagine the way you feel when you're enjoying a fresh beer, delicious food, and great conversation in a warm bar. That's "Gemütlichkeit". |
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Grias God (Grüß Gott) The Bavarian national greeting. It translates roughly as "God greet thee!" and works on every social level. Avoid saying "Guten Tag" unless you want to be branded as a northerner! |
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Haferlschua (Haferlschuhe) The Bavarian hiking shoe, which takes its name from its resemblance to an earthenware pot ("Haferl"). |
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Hendl A chicken, preferably roasted on a spit. Thousands upon thousands are consumed every day at Oktoberfest. |
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Hoiz voa da Hüttn (Holz vor der Hütte) The physical features that make up a well-endowed "sweater girl" and are put so daringly on display in a "Dirndl" (q.v.). |
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Host mi? (Hast du mich?) Short, concise form of "Did you understand what I just said?" in snappy Bavarian dialect. Ya follow? |
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Lederhosn (Lederhose) Bavaria's answer to the kilt: a short pair of leather pants and suspenders, sported by Bavarian men in folk dress. |
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Mass No, not a long religious service. Mass is one liter of bier. (See, we knew you'd love German.) |
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Masskruagstemma (Masskrugstemmen) A drinking game in which you must hold one very heavy liter of beer with your arm outstretched. The one who holds longest, wins. |
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Münchner Kindl A child ("Kindl") in a monk's habit, originally pictured on Munich's coat-of-arms and now the city's unofficial emblem. You can find the Münchner Kindl everywhere, from tourist publications to manhole covers. Today the term also refers to any pretty girl from Munich. |
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No a Mass (Noch eine Mass) "Another liter, please," referring of course to beer. A handy Bavarian phrase capable of seemingly endless repetition at Oktoberfest. |
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Oans, zwoa, g'suffa! (Eins, zwei, gesoffen!) "One, two, drink!" a charming German toast often overheard at Oktoberfest. |
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Obazda (Angepatzter) A butter-and-egg concoction served as a spread for sandwiches and guaranteed to fill your stomach. |
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O'zapft is (Angezapft ist) "It's tapped!", the cry that goes up every year when the Lord Mayor of Munich hammers a spigot into the very first keg of Oktoberfest beer. |
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Pfundskerl A "great guy," a "good egg" or anything else you want to call someone you like off the bat. |
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Prost! "Cheers" in German. Easy to remember, because it rhymes with toast. |
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Radi An oversized radish the size of a turnip, carved into a spiral and served with a generous helping of rock salt. Guaranteed to make you reach for "no a Mass" (q.v.). |
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Radiserl (Radieschen) A bunch of small Bavarian red radishes, noted for their thirst-inducing sharp bite. |
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Schnupftabak Snuff, which you can actually buy at Oktoberfest if you're so inclined. |
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Schuaplattln (Schuhplatteln) Athletic Bavarian folk dance in which the men alternately hit their shoes with their hands and stamp their feet on the ground, accompanied by a raucous brass band. It's even harder than it looks. |
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Schunkeln Locking arms with your neighbor and swaying from side to side at the table in time to the music. A great ice-breaker and impressive to behold when practiced in large numbers. |
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Schweinsbratn (Schweinebraten) Roast pork, which the Bavarians have made their national specialty. Try it braised to a crust in dark beer to savor Bavaria at its culinary best. |
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Servus A multi-purpose greeting and farewell, as versatile as "Aloha" in Hawaiian. Literally, it means "your slave" in Latin. |
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Steckerlfisch Mackerel or trout roasted on a spit and consumed in huge quantities at every Oktoberfest. |
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Tracht The generic term for folk costume, male and female. See the Oktoberfest's opening-day parade for a glimpse at Bavarian "Tracht" in all its richness and variety. |
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Weißwurscht (Weißwurst) Literally "white sausage," a perishable Bavarian delicacy served with sweet mustard especially for breakfast. Peeling the skin off these little things is a high art requiring lots of practice. |
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Wiesn (Wiese) Name of the field where Oktoberfest is held each year. Mecca to some. Wiesn to you. |
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Wiesn-Herzerl A huge gingerbread cookie shaped like a heart and sold at Oktoberfest, usually with a saying written on the front. It makes a great souvenir - if you can stop from eating it yourself. |
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